


Tea, Claude?

by Ineia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gossip, Matchmaking, Minor Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Minor Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Leonie Pinelli, Minor Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril, Tea Parties, byleth tries to set up all her students and claude suffers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28386729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineia/pseuds/Ineia
Summary: "I realized I hadn’t tried to match you up with someone.”“If the romantic gossip was focused on me, I don’t think our tea sessions would be quite as fun,” Claude offered, “so I don’t think it much of a loss.”“You’re not wrong,” Byleth said, nodding, “but I don’t want to make you feel as though you missed out on my meddling.”The Professor is interested in everyone’s love life but her own.  Not that that bothers Claude.  No, of course not.  Not a bit.  Why would it?
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 14
Kudos: 166





	Tea, Claude?

“Claude, are you friends with Felix?” Byleth asked about one minute into their tea party.

Claude raised his eyebrows. Usually, she’d be prompting him to talk about himself, if he’d found anything new in his research in the library, if there was anywhere he wished to visit, his plans for the future. On occasion, she’d talk about herself, about strange fish she saw in the pond, about a new gambit she was considering, about a gardening mishap. But she never talked about other students. Much less Felix.

“Uh, is anyone friends with Felix, Teach?” Claude responded. “Other than Sylvain and Ingrid. But they seem friends more by circumstance than choice.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Byleth said simply.

Claude shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t say so. I don’t dislike him, but we’re not friends. Even after he joined our class, he didn’t seem interested in getting to know me.”

Byleth hummed and stared at her tea cup thoughtfully. “Even if you aren’t particularly close, have you noticed anything… off about him?”

Claude was struggling to not get annoyed that at _his_ tea time with the Professor, all she wanted to do was talk about another student, who wasn’t even originally from his class.

“Nope. I haven’t noticed anything.”

“I’ve noticed something,” Byleth said slowly, “and you’re the only one I trust to tell.”

_Trust_. Claude’s exasperation at not being the focus of his dear Teach’s attention evaporated in an instant. Why did she have to say things like that so casually?

“You’re something else,” Claude muttered quietly. Byleth titled her head but Claude waved a hand dismissively and she continued.

“I considered telling Hilda, but she would not be good at keeping this observation to herself. And everyone else in class doesn’t seem like they would be a help in figuring this out. Except for you.” Byleth paused, glancing around the tea garden to double check it was empty. “I think Felix,” she said in a low voice, “has a crush on Sylvain.”

Two seconds passed in absolute silence. He almost wanted to laugh, but... Claude eyed the Professor with a disbelieving look.

“I see why you didn’t go to Hilda with this. You are actually serious.”

“I am. I would not jest about my student’s feelings.”

“What gave you the impression he has a crush? And on Sylvain of all people?”

“I pair them up in battle often. Initially, it was because they both were transfers to our class, and I knew they had fought together before. In action, I saw that they’re a deadly pair, so I continued to do so. Earlier this month, in that raid on the bandits near the border of the Alliance, I noticed Sylvain took some hits for Felix, which led to Felix getting incredibly upset and lashing out at the bandits in a fury, and afterwards at Sylvain for being reckless.

“On the surface, it seemed like a matter of pride, but I kept an eye on Felix after that, and it seems Felix is always looking towards Sylvain when he’s not off by himself. The look in his eyes… well, you would not be surprised to know that I have not had any kind of romantic notions before, but I have seen them in others. I think he truly cares about Sylvain, and, beyond that, I think there is something more.”

“I really have no idea. I haven’t been watching Felix at all,” Claude said. “It sounds implausible on the basis that Felix is too standoffish to like anyone that way, but people can have hidden depths, if you’re anything to go by, Teach.”

Byleth gave him an amused look at that last remark before continuing. “It’s something that once you notice, it seems obvious. This week, would you mind keeping an eye on Felix? I want to know if I am imagining things.”

“Sure.” Claude now was morbidly eager to check if Felix was crushing on Sylvain. It wouldn't be hard to stalk him. He'll just spend a lot of time at the training yard this week. “I am a little curious why this gossip matters at all to you.”

“Mostly because it seems to be affecting Felix. In battle, in training, even if Sylvain’s not around. He’s off kilter. His focus wavers.”

“And you really think that’s because of a _crush_?”

“I really do. It’s been a couple weeks since I first noticed, and everything seems to point to that.”

Claude was still a little dumbfounded that his Professor was asking him to suss out if one of his classmates had a crush on another, but he nodded.

“Alright. I’ll be your little spy.”

✦

Keeping tabs on people is something Claude is good at. He had to be good at it back in Almyra, and he’d certainly gathered a lot of information about his classmates generally since arriving at the Officers Academy. Felix Hugo Fraldarius had a short mental file in Claude’s head. Son of Rodrigue, heir to the Fraldarius Dukedom in the Northern part of the Kingdom. Childhood friends with Dimitri, Sylvain, and Ingrid. Elder brother died in the tragedy of Duscur defending Dimitri. Unclear how exactly Felix’s friendship with Dimitri ended, but likely in the fallout of the tragedy? Someday he would inherit the Aegis Shield, the Relic for the Crest of Fraldarius. Basically a permanent fixture in the training yard. Claude’s dorm neighbor on the northern side. Generally cold and annoyed with just about everyone. 

All these things he held to be true about his classmate made Claude seriously question his judgement as he saw that Byleth was entirely correct: Felix had a crush on Sylvain Gautier.

It wasn’t obvious, per se, but, looking for it, Claude couldn’t help but see signs of Felix’s affections for the guy everywhere. In the dining hall, Felix ate with Sylvain, eyes softening at corny jokes, body stiffening as he mentions going out with girls. In the training ground, if Felix wasn’t actively fighting, his eyes would find their way to Sylvain, glancing away just fast enough not to be noticed. In a bandit battle at the end of the week, Felix stayed by Sylvain’s side the entire fight, lashing out at an archer who got a particularly lucky shot off on the redhead.

And Byleth was right that it was affecting Felix. He put himself in more danger than he had to to defend Sylvain, he often seemed distracted when Sylvain was around, and even in his downtime, Felix looked preoccupied with thoughts... Thoughts of Sylvain, perhaps? Claude was finding it increasingly likely.

A week after his first gossip tea with the Professor, Claude lingered after her lecture, giving an excuse about a question to his classmates who exited the classroom at a quick pace.

“You were right,” Claude said flatly once they were alone. “I can’t unsee it.”

Byleth let out a sigh. “Oh thank goodness. I was afraid it was all in my head.”

“No. He’s got hearts eyes when he looks at Sylvain. Sharp, pointy, little sword-shaped hearts, probably, but hearts nonetheless.”

Byleth smiled at that, then she gently curled her fist and rested it against her face, as she often did unconsciously when she was in deep thought. “I just don’t know what I should do… I’m not sure talking to him directly about it will do anything. But I also can’t have one of my best students lose his edge because he’s so distracted…”

“I’m one of your other best students, right, Teach?” Claude teased. Byleth ignored him.

“I’ve got it! I’ll get him to tell me what I should do,” Byleth said, her face lighting up.

Claude stared. “Uh, care to elaborate?”

“I’ll ask Felix to tea, and then I’ll explain that someone in our class—uh, let’s just say Ignatz for example—has a huge crush on someone else and it’s distracting them from their studies, and I want Felix to give me advice on how to deal with the situation. Then, once he does, I’ll use those tactics on him.”

“Don’t you think Felix’s advice for dealing with someone like Ignatz wouldn’t work on Felix himself?” Claude asked.

“Huh? Oh no! I don’t mean to seriously take his advice. I mean I’ll say it back to him to let him know that I know about his crush on Sylvain and that he needs to get his act together, but I won’t have to say it directly.”

Claude raised his eyebrows. “That’s… a lot.”

Byleth shrugged, leaning back against her desk. “I can’t think of anything better. If I just say ‘Please stop being distracted by your huge crush on Sylvain,’ he’ll probably flip the tea table. Start subtle with the fake example, then trap him at the end.”

“Maybe I should invite you to help with my next scheme. You’ve certainly got the attitude for it.”

Byleth gave him a small smile. “Maybe you should.”

✦

The rich scent of Almyran Pine wafted up to Claude’s nose as Byleth poured him a cup. It smelled like home, and, even though Byleth didn’t know that Claude could have such an association, her efforts to buy this tea he so clearly enjoyed every week were touching. And the tray of cakes and cookies she had brought today were nothing to scoff at either. It was a perfect moment. Just him and his dear Teach.

“You’ll never believe what happened with Felix,” Byleth finally began, as she returned the teapot to its saucer.

Just him and Teach. And Felix who seemed to be the only topic of conversation.

Claude held back a sigh. “Yes, I’m sure I won’t.”

“Well, I did the whole bait-and-switch, ending with me telling him to move past his crush on Sylvain or otherwise act upon it, and he just turned bright red and could not speak. I’ve never seen him so flustered, nor speechless. He always seems to have a barb at the ready, you know?”

Another sigh swallowed. Couldn’t they talk about food in the dining hall? Books he’d read recently? Past laughs? Working together? Instead, Claude just gave her an easy smile. “Yeah, I’ve been on the receiving end of them in the training yard before.”

“Well, he was so stunned he just sat there staring at me, and then he eventually went ‘Understood,’ and just got up and left.”

Claude drummed his fingers on the table. “Think he’ll actually stop being distracted?”

“I don’t know. I doubt he’ll tell Sylvain, but at least he’ll be aware of how clearly it’s affecting him.”

Claude nodded and took this as a chance to shift the subject. “Teach, can I run a new battalion by you?”

Claude thanked the Goddess and the Almyran gods that the topic did not return to the potential romance of Felix and Sylvain.

✦

When the Professor invited Claude to cook with her, he was excited to prepare some Sacred Beast Roast for the class. Just him and Byleth, no other students to talk about. At least, that’s what he thought until Byleth turned to him as she chopped up the fish.

“Have you noticed how Lorenz works with Leonie?”

Oh no. No no no no no. Claude was not about to spend an hour alone with Byleth talking about Leonie, and gods forbid _Lorenz_. What was the quickest way to move past this? Answer quickly? Shrug it off?

“Uh,” Claude said, internally yelling at himself for this incredibly strong start, “not particularly.”

Byleth sliced some fish as she spoke. “There’s something there on Lorenz’s end, I think. It hasn’t impacted his magic and battle skill at all, but there’s something there. He really admires her. Likes her even. I find it… curious.”

Claude considered Leonie for a moment. Personally, he found her a bit annoying, though he could not deny her talent with a lance and a bow, nor her resourcefulness. She was cute like all the girls in the class, sure, although Claude didn’t find himself especially attracted to her. Hilda was certainly more beautiful, and then there was—

“Teach.”

Byleth glanced up from the fish, tilting her head adorably. Claude ignored the way his chest felt.

“What do you mean by curious? After the whole Felix-Sylvain incident, I thought you wouldn’t be surprised that students have crushes.”

“I don’t find it surprising, generally,” Byleth agreed, “but Lorenz liking Leonie—this instance is something I didn’t quite expect. Even if it’s just a passing fancy, his commitment to the idea of nobility is…”

“Ridiculous? Obnoxious? Totally over the top?” Claude offered. Byleth lips twitched as if she was resisting the urge to smile.

“Extensive. It’s hard to imagine him having any kind of romantic relationship with a commoner. He probably couldn’t marry one, for both political and crest concerns.”

Claude sprinkled some seasoning on the fish. Matrimony prospects for Lorenz didn’t particularly interest him. “The heart does as it pleases, I suppose.”

Byleth didn’t say much more until she had begun to fry the fish. “What about your heart, then?”

Claude almost sliced a bit of his finger in with the moose. This was one way to redirect the conversation back to him.

“What do you mean?” he asked, miraculously managing to be nonchalant despite the chaos in his head at hearing dear Teach ask about his _heart_.

Byleth tapped her knife on the cutting board absently. “Do you think about marrying for politics or crests or all that?”

Claude shrugged. “Well, you know that it wasn’t too long ago that I was made the Riegan heir. It was only because my crest bearing uncle died young. Growing up, I knew I had a crest but it didn’t really affect me because I wasn’t in line for any particularly important role in the Alliance.” (A true, if incomplete, picture of his childhood.) “I always believed I’d have to marry for some political end, of course—securing treaties, making allies, that stuff. I just never had crests in mind.”

“I see.” Byleth nodded, but said nothing more. She turned to the vegetables they’d be serving alongside the meat and began preparing them. Claude let the silence linger for a few moments before he spoke up again.

“You’ve got a crest, you know, Teach. Have you ever thought about marriage? It wouldn’t be hard to find a duke or margrave excited to add you to their noble house.” He said it in a light tone, although it was 100% true.

Byleth actually laughed at that, and Claude couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.

“Was that a laugh, Teach? Am I dreaming?”

“I can laugh, Claude.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you laugh before.”

“Well, mention the idea of marrying into a noble house to someone raised as a goddessless mercenary more often, and perhaps you’ll see it again.”

“I will then,” Claude said. “As often as I have to to see your laugh on the regular.”

Byleth gave him a fond, yet slightly puzzled look, as if she couldn’t quite wrap her head around why he had any interest in seeing her laugh. Then, she returned to cutting up some carrots before her, the usual stony, neutral expression returning to her face.

“I’ve always thought I’d never marry. I don’t think anyone else thought I would either. I never felt... anything. Nothing like romantic love, no sexual desire or curiosity. It didn’t bother me that everyone else seemed to be interested in those things, either. That’s just how it was.”

(That didn’t surprise him. When they first met, and for the first few months as her student, Claude was impressed by how emotionless she was. No smiles, no frowns, no anger, no fear, no reaction to almost everything. Bit by bit, though, that cold exterior wore away, to the point that Byleth was gossiping about her students and laughing in the kitchen with Claude.)

“And how about now?” Claude asked.

“Now… Ever since I came here, I feel like something inside me that, for a long time, made everything so muted has been worn away. It used to be I couldn’t even imagine how someone could feel love. Now, I can understand how it might feel. And I…” Byleth stilled. She looked forward, staring into nothing as if she was seeing something just out of reach. “I want to feel it. I want to know it.”

Claude didn’t say anything, just watched her and tried to set aside the way her words made warmth flood his chest.

Byleth turned to him. “One reason why I find myself invested in my students’ love lives is because I want to find that for myself. I might as well vicariously experience it through them since I can’t seem to do it.”

“Can’t do it? Everyone adores you. Ask anyone out, you can have your pick,” Claude said. It would be easy if she picked him, and Claude cursed how desperately he found himself wishing for it.

“It’s not that I can’t ask someone. I’m sure I could but...” Byleth replied, trailing off for a moment. She found her words again with a tilt of her head. Her face was still so neutral, bewitchingly calm. “I want it to be real.”

Claude couldn’t help the wistful look across his face. Real. When was the last time he felt real? Like he wasn’t plastering on a smile and causal attitude? Like he wasn’t trying to hide who he’d been for sixteen years? What made him feel real?

He stared at Byleth, thinking of the way that she saw right through him, the way she transformed his fake smiles into genuine ones, that she made the gentle call of “Claude” sound like his actual name and not a moniker he’d borrowed.

Who made him feel real?

“Teach,” he said, his voice more honest and raw than he could recall since coming to the Academy, “I know you’ll find something real. One day.”

Byleth’s gaze lingered on him, then she gave a small smile. “Thank you.”

They made the rest of the meal in a comfortable quiet, and, when Byleth brushed up against Claude as they mixed together their ingredients, Claude tried to focus on what’s real and what he merely was yearning for.

✦

The night of the ball, Claude found Byleth to the side of the dance floor, determinedly gesturing to someone. Before approaching her, he followed her line of sight to Sylvain gesturing back with a similar resolve. They both glanced in another direction, and Claude smiled as he realized they were both looking at Felix, watching boredly at the couples smoothly turning across the dance floor in front of him. With this, Claude was able to read their hand movements much more clearly. A “Go to him!” from Byleth with hands rotating in Felix’s direction, a “No, I can’t!” from Sylvain with crossed arms and furious shaking of the head, a “YES YOU CAN!” with a glare from Byleth combined with a fist resting on her palm, a helpless shrug from Sylvain that didn’t convey anything specific but a lack of willpower… this went on for about a minute before Sylvain sighed and headed to Felix, whose eyes widened as Sylvain took him out onto the dance floor with a grin.

“You made a very convincing argument there,” Claude said, walking up to Byleth with a smirk.

“Did you see that exchange? Felix wanted Sylvain to ask, and Sylvain did want to ask him. But he did need some encouragement,” Byleth replied, eyes shining as she watched her two students twirl past.

From the joy on Sylvain’s face and Felix’s gentle smile, he knew she was absolutely right in her assessment. Marianne was being dipped by Hilda, resulting in a gasp from Marianne and a laugh from Hilda, and Leonie was offending Lorenz’s noble sensibilities by making him be the follow to her lead.

“Were you responsible for them, too?” Claude asked, as Leonie turned a squawking Lorenz under her arm.

“I might have mentioned the idea to Leonie that asking Lorenz to dance would annoy him, but I take no credit for Marianne and Hilda. I had been pairing them up in battle since they seemed to work well together, and now I wonder if there was something more to that,” Byleth said. “It certainly warms my heart to see so many of them happy.”

Claude held out his hand. “Let’s go join them and have some fun ourselves, then.” With slightly raised eyebrows, Byleth took it.

“You don’t just have to ask me because I’m your professor, Claude,” she said assuringly.

“Teach, I would ask you no matter who you are,” he said, giving her a rare, genuine smile. When Byleth gave him a real smile in return, Claude felt as though, rather than dance, they were about to fly.

✦

After Jeralt died, Byleth held tea with Claude less and less. He didn’t blame her; with such a melancholy weighing on her, it was hard to muster up the desire to idly gossip or chit chat. But, as the weeks went on, he caught glimpses of her emerging from her veil of sadness. She smiled at one of Raphael’s jokes during a lecture, she paired up Hilda and Marianne for stable duty (and gave Claude a knowing look as she announced it), she stopped to feed the cats near the training gate after running archery drills with him and Ignatz…

By the time they went to face Kronya and Solon, Claude truly believed that Byleth would be on her way to recovery once she defeated her father’s killers. Of course, the loss would always remain, but the grief would ease. Things would be normal, or something like it, again.

At least, that’s what Claude believed until the Professor disappeared—and Claude felt his heart rip in two—then returned as she tore open a portal from a dark dimension with glowing green hair and eyes. Not normal. And not something like it.

Byleth invited him to tea a few days later, and Claude found it difficult not to stare. Of course, his dear Teach had always been beautiful, a fact he was a little too aware of, but she was now even more captivating. It was hard to look away.

“You’re looking at my hair,” Byleth said, her face totally neutral.

“Possibly. Can you blame me? It’s quite the new look.”

“No. I still get startled when I see my reflection. It’s like I’m not me.”

“Well, the color might be a little different, and maybe you feel weird having the goddess merged with you, but it’s still just you, Teach.”

The Professor looked into her teacup. Claude realized just how often she probably saw her own image, unfamiliar, staring back at her. In the reflection of her shining steel sword, in the reflective dining hall platters, in the shimmering water as she fished, in her steaming tea…

“It’s just me,” Byleth repeated. “Just me.”

“I know the feeling of seeing yourself in a way you never could have imagined. You do really get used to changes like that. It just takes time,” Claude said.

“Time…” Byleth murmured as she took a pastry from the tray, looking a bit distant still. She fiddled with the treat in her hands before looking up with more focus. “Claude, I was thinking about you.”

Was Teach trying to make his insides melt? He pushed his melty insides down to give her a smirk.

“Oh? Hard to get me off your mind?” Claude said smoothly with a wink.

“No. But I was thinking of all my pairings in the class… We’re not far from graduation. Sylvain and Felix should confess their feelings any day now. Lorenz and Leonie have struck up an odd dynamic, I swore I saw Lorenz blush talking to her the other day—and not in embarrassment like usual. Marianne and Hilda seem to be getting along fantastically. I saw Marianne introducing Hilda to Dorte… I attempted to talk to Lysithea about chatting with Ignatz or Raphael and she hit me with her book.”

“Harsh.”

“That’s Lysithea. Maybe she’s alright on her own. Raphael and Ignatz seem… very close anyway. But I realized I hadn’t tried to match you up with someone.”

“If the romantic gossip was focused on me, I don’t think our tea sessions would be quite as fun,” Claude offered, “so I don’t think it much of a loss.”

“You’re not wrong,” Byleth said, nodding, “but I don’t want to make you feel as though you missed out on my meddling.”

“On the contrary, I had a front seat to the meddling in action. And, honestly, I’m happy to be romantically unattached for the moment. There’s enough going on with trying to figure out the Flame Emperor and whatever Rhea is up to.”

Byleth nodded once more. “True. However, if you get a crush at some point and want some help to get closer to that person, please tell me.”

Claude decided saying that she could come closer to him, then, was probably not the best thing to do at this moment. Instead, he smiled.

“You’ve got it, Teach.”

✦

A cool breeze blew through Derdriu. Spring was here. Claude liked the season. Warm winds came from the east, which reminded him of home, and the lush greenery that seemed to sprout everywhere, which reminded him of the beauty of his new home. His mother didn’t speak of Fódlan too often when Claude was a child, but, when she did, she talked of the spring and how many things would grow in Leicester’s rich soil. Usually, she would feel inspired to speak of her homeland when suffering under the heatwaves of the Almyran desert, fanning herself and asking a tiny Claude why she agreed to marry a man who lived in a furnace.

The memory made Claude smile to himself as he sipped his tea. He had an excellent view of the city from the balcony where he sat. The Riegan residence was situated at one of the highest points in town. There weren’t many moments he had to himself these days, but he managed to sneak in little tea breaks once in a while. Because when he drank tea, it was almost like she was still here.

He remembered the chaos like it was yesterday, though it was a little over a year since their futile defense of the monastery. Gathered at the outskirts of Garreg Mach after the battle, shortly before their class scattered to the winds, Sylvain had told them what he saw in a shaking voice—her fall down a huge pit, hit with magic by a dark wizard reminiscent of Solon. Everyone was devastated, assuming she died, and Claude ached too, but...

But she couldn’t be dead. He had seen her defy death once before, and she returned a goddess. Who’s to say she wouldn’t do it again? There was a void in heart, of course, with her missing, but it wasn’t full of the kind of grief he knew he would feel if he truly believed she was gone.

She would be back. He would be waiting for her. Claude took a long sip of his tea.

✦

Five years should change a lot. And yet, somehow, Claude found himself sitting across from Byleth on a Sunday, drinking tea like no war had broken out and no goddess-infused professor had vanished. They usually met in Byleth’s room instead of the tea pavilion, but, other than that, the situation was entirely familiar.

Their tea sessions had returned almost immediately upon the former Deer reuniting, but they no longer tried to separate business and pleasure. As much as they both hated it, there was always the war to talk about. Arranging battalions for an upcoming offensive, managing the food supply (and reminding Raphael to pace himself), organizing the minor Alliance lords to provide support… it wasn’t fun, but it was necessary. It felt like a waste of time to chat about the children down in the market when they still had to ensure those children would be fed.

Claude had been delighted when Byleth found him stargazing the other night, just talking about the past and a vision for a new future. He thought he was pretty bold in telling her he wanted her by his side in the new world they would forge together—only for her to nod with the same neutral expression she always wore. He wasn’t sure how he could make his feelings anymore obvious without grabbing her by the shoulders and saying those three potent words.

He had, of course, considered that it may not be obliviousness and instead be disinterest on Byleth’s end. That said, knowing Teach, if she truly understood he was trying to tell her how dearly he loved her, she would give him a straight answer one way or another of her own feelings, rather than an incomprehensible nod. With this in mind, Claude concluded there was only one way to get Byleth to understand his heart. When the conversation lulled after they finished discussing clearing out some nearby bandit camps, he took his chance.

Once, Byleth used Felix’s tactics against him. Now, Claude would use the same methods against her.

“Teach… I have a pretty delicious piece of gossip for you.”

Byleth paused mid-sip. “Gossip?”

“Yes.”

He wondered if she would demure, but instead she smiled.

“Like old times, huh?” she said, placing her teacup down. “Do tell.”

Claude drummed his fingers on the table. “Well, I’ve got a friend who is hopelessly in love with someone.”

Byleth tilted her head. “A friend? Do I know them?”

Claude shrugged. “I was sworn to secrecy, so I won’t say. But they are in quite the predicament. See, they are good friends with the person they love, but every time they try to show their feelings to that person, they’re totally oblivious. Now, they haven’t plainly just said ‘I love you’ or anything, but they’ve talked about how much they care about that person, how they want to be with them in the future, that sort of thing.”

Byleth frowned. “And the person didn’t react similarly?”

Claude held back a smirk. “They weren’t negative to them, but they didn’t really show much passion one way or the other.”

Byleth reared her hand under her chin. “Perhaps your friend should try telling their crush how they feel in a very direct way. They could, of course, get rejected, but they might be reciprocated too.”

“They’ve known and loved this person for years, so it’s a bit beyond a crush now, but I see what you mean. Tell it to the person straight, then? That’s the advice I should pass along?” Claude confirmed.

Byleth nodded. “With someone that clueless, you don’t have another way to check their feelings.”

Claude gazed at Byleth. Really? She couldn’t even get it when he was laying it out this clearly? With a fond sigh, he reached across the table to take her hand. Byleth didn’t draw back, but her brows furrowed as she glanced between Claude and their joined hands.

“Something wrong?”

Claude grazed his thumb across the top of her hand. “Do you remember when you told me to tell you if I liked someone? What if I’m not talking about my friend here, but me?”

“Oh,” Byleth said. Her expression relaxed somewhat, but Claude thought there was a disappointment behind her eyes. “I… I would still give you the same advice.”

(Nearly there. Deep breath.)

“And what if this person I’m head over heels for is you, Teach?”

Byleth stared at him for a moment and then sighed. “I can’t really be that oblivious, can I?”

That was not an answer, but she was squeezing his hand. Claude had a good feeling. He gave her a cheeky smile. “For all your matchmaking, you didn't notice me pining for you.”

Byleth shook her head, disappointed in herself, but she couldn’t hide a growing smile. “Well, despite everything I did that probably seemed an indication otherwise, you should know I am hopelessly in love with you, too.”

Claude thought his chest might explode, and he couldn’t help the big, stupidly genuine smile on his face. He wanted to say something deep and profound, about how wondrous it was that they met, that she chose him, that they found each other again after five years, that he had never been as happy as he was at this exact moment. Instead, he found his voice rising slightly higher than normal in excitement.

“Really?”

“Really, Claude. Did you think I invited you to tea every week back then out of purely teacherly instincts?”

He intertwined their fingers. “Well, yes.”

“After the ball, I started to like you. With my dad and… you were really there for me. Then, once I came back, that crush turned to something much bigger. I missed so much time with you, and I realized I never wanted to be separated from you like that again. Plus…” Byleth trailed off.

Claude could feel his cheeks warming up. “Teach, say anymore and I might just melt.”

Byleth smirked, in a way that Claude knew she had learned from him. How the tables had turned…

“Plus,” Byleth said, “it helps that you went from pretty cute to really hot.” Her voice low and teasing. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of you for days after I woke up.”

Claude knew his face must be red as a tomato freshly picked from the greenhouse.

“Teach—”

“Call me Byleth.”

Now, Claude was definitely going to spontaneously combust. To avoid that, he stood up and held his arms open.

“Come over here.”

Byleth smiled as she ran into his embrace. They just held one another, and Claude thought he wouldn’t mind if he simply stood here forever, holding Byleth, who he loved and who loved him. Let the war rage on, let the gossip go unspoken, let the tea grow cold—they had one another. This, this was real.

**Author's Note:**

> I managed to write something without massive angst! Some last minute character development this year. If you want to check out some of my other, angstier claudeleth fics I have [one exploring claudeleth in every route via divine pulse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25390753) and [one where they talk about Byleth's parents](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930090). Thanks to my little brother for beta-ing.
> 
> Follow [my twitter](https://twitter.com/ladyineia) if you'd like to see me being emo about Three Houses and Ace Attorney.


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